Section I, Book 5, chapter 11: Winds, clouds, fountains, lightning and thunder

CHAP. XI. The Lightnings and Thunders are described in this Chapter, according unto Aristotle's Sentence: which is a[…]terward confuted by Testimony of Holy-Writ.

HAving thus made a generall inquiry into the Philosophy of Aristotle, touching the Originall of the Winds, the Clowds, and Fountains, I cannot now but enter into his thoughts, concerning the wonderfull beginning or primary causes and admirable effects of the Lightnings and Thunders, being in verity they are Meteors of so great marvell, that they require the profoundest speculation to consider them justly and as they ought to be, and therefore I doubt not but that if a due examination be made of Aristotle's validity concerning the research and discovery of so great a mystey, it will be more faulty then all the rest. Let us then observe in the first place, what his mind is touching the essence of the Lightnings. Aristotle's Opinion is, that the materiall cause of the Lightning, is, a hot and dry exhalation, drawn out of the earth, and elevated into the middle region of the aire, by the vertue of the Starrs: where partly by reason of a strong collision or concussion of clowds, and partly because of that antiperistasis which is had between the heat of the exhalation and coldness of the region, that inflamable matter so coarcted into the belly of the clowd is set on fire, and breaking out of his prison doth tend downward, by reason of his terrestiall and compacted disposition: and he concludeth that the violence of this eruption, is, that noise which men do commonly call by the name of Thunder. This I say, is the summary of Aristotle's mind touching the Lightning. And verily, Aristotle seemeth in some sort to be excused, if he erre in this inquiry, being that it is a doubt not easily to be resolved, and therefore not only he, but also all other Philosophers almost have been in[…]onstant in their resolutions, touching this point: Forasmuch as therein they have so staggered, and varied in this research, and have groped as it were by dark, for the finding out of the true light thereof. For Empedocles judged the Lightning to be caused by the interception, or stopping of the descent of the Sunbeames. But Anaxagoras would have it to be a portion of the aethereall or heavenly fire, which descended from above, into the concavity of the clowd, within the which afterward it was inclosed; and saith, that this light skipping and gliding out of the clowds, is called the Lightning, the effect of whose breaking forth, is, the Thunder. Others will have these flashes of fire to proceed from the dry winds; which being compassed about, compressed or coarctated within the clowds, these clowds are by them are set on fire, & thereupon cometh that noise which followeth, that turmoile in the clowds. And again, many others have otherwise determined of it. So that we may justly say, touching this point, and that rightly: Quot homines, tot sententiae. And now concerning the Opinion of Aristotle, it is in it self so contrary and contradictory unto the authority of the true Wisdome, that some of his learned Christian Disciples, have in the plain field of the Peripateticall Combat against the Truth turned tayl (as the comm[…]n phrase is) and become Apostats or Renegado's or relinquishers of their Faith, which they had in their Master's sincerity, touching this Doctrine. For we find it thus written by Margarita Philosophiae (as is before said) Qu dam Philosophorum considerantes mirabilem fulminis operationem, ipsum non opus Naturae sed summi Dei effectum immediatum arbitrati sunt: Some of the Philosophers considering the admirable operation of the Lightnings, have assuredly held or thought it, not to be a work of nature, but the immediate effect of the most high God.

But to […]ome unto the particulars of his Definition: He saith, that the material cause of the Lightning is taken from the Earth; the Agent in […]he elevation is the Astrall vertue, the externall, accidentall, or adventitious efficient is the collision, concussion or knocking together of opposit clouds, by reason of the antiperistasis that is made between the heat of the Exhalation, and the cold of the aire's midle region; whereby the accension, or setting on fire the Exhalation, is made, And lastly, He sheweth the reason, that the Lightning moveth downwards, namely because the Substance or matter thereof, is terrestiall and of an earthly compaction. I will therefore confute every one of these particles in order, and that first by Philosophicall or naturall reasons, and lastly, by the Authority of the holy Scripture.

As concerning the materiall Substance of the Lightnings, which he saith is a hot and dry exhalation, and terrestially-compacted Substance, which is derived from the earth: First, it seemeth to be but a figment, because it is proved, that the Starrs have no attractive vertue or force, as is p[…]oved before. Then, for that if the windy exhalation, which is light and more apt to arise and penetrate, by reason of its subtility, be denied passage into the middle region of the aire, much more must this kind of exhalation have his passage barred or hindered into that cold place, being it is (as he confesseth) grosser, more terrestiall and apter to be inflamed: But this impossibility will also be demonstrated by the authority of holy Writ, Fulgura procedunt à Throno: Lightning p[…]oceedeth from the Throne of God. Again, he is said Fulgur are lumine suo desuper, cardinesque maris operire: To enlighten with his light from above, and to cover with it the compasse of the Sea. And again, ignis ab ore ejus evolavit: Fire came from his mouth. And again, Flamma ex ore ejus prodiit: A flame came f[…]om his mouth. Again, Illuxerunt coruscationes tuae orbi terrae: Thy coruscations or Lightnings did shine over the earth. Again, Fumus in ira ejus, & ignis à facie ejus exarsit: Smoak issued from him in his anger, and fire did flame forth from his face. What? Shall we imagine that this flaming matter was, as Aristotle faineth, drawn or elected from the earth by the Starrs, which God so familiarly sendeth forth? or dare any true Christian imagine, that so base and triviall an excrement of the earth would by the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles, with such a boldness, be ascribed unto God's essentiall power, and to be derived from his presence? Nay, had it not been an impudency in them to say, in regard of the divineness of the thing, that God is a consuming fire, as we finde it written both in the old and new Testament? or would the Prophet testifie, that he made his angels winds, and his ministers flaming fires? How basely might a true speculator into the divine mysteries judge, of the beginning of the Angells and spirituall lights, if their materiall substance were accidentall exhalation? Again, we are taught, that the heaven or aire is the treasure-house, from out whose bowells the winds, the clowds, the snow, the hail, and lightnings, and rainbow is extracted, and proportioned by the Spirit of God to do his will. And therefore, as before, Deus sapientia sua aptat pondus aeri, & appendit nubes in mensura, facit pluviae statuta & viam fulgetro tonitruum: God by his wisdom doth proportionate the weight of the aire, and hangeth the clowds or waters in measure, maketh lawes unto the rain, and a way unto the lightnings of the thunders. So that it is evident, that the matter of all meteors, be they watry or fiery, is hewen by the word or wisdom of God out of the catholick aire, & consequently not out of the earth, neither is there any such need of the starrs attraction or elevation in the business, being the pure matter of the lightnings is evermore in the divine puissance, and reserved in his secret treasure-house, to be called or chosen out at his will, who hath created all things to work how and which way he pleaseth; for were it not (I beseech you) a wonderous thing, that at an instant so great a quantity of exhalations could be drawn out of the earth, and elevated by the stars, as did suddainly and unlooked for, rain down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah? But our Aristotelians will say, according unto custom, that it was miraculous. I answer, that for all that, the meteor was materiall, for it was fire and brimstone. Now I would fain know of them, out of what magazine or store-house it came, and whether the stars drew it up from the earth, and whether God did not collect it immediately out of his own aiery or invisible treasury or store-house? For St. Paul saith, that all visible things were first of things that were not seen. Secondly, touching the agent, he is more deceived in it then in the matter; for first, he maketh the agent which draweth up the exhalation, the attractive vertue of the stars; then he surmiseth, that the efficient cause which enlighteneth it, must be partly the dashing together of two clowds, and partly the contrariety which is between the heat of the exhalation, and coldness of the place, which meeting together, do cause the accension of the exhalation. Good God, what a Gallimofry he would make, and what a confusion of externall actions, or efficient causes doth he fain? when there is but onely one indeed, which is most internall or essentiall, that moveth which way it lift, and operateth all in all. Are these superficiall, accidentall, and externall formall agents, the primary movers and animators of the bright lightnings? And yet it is said, that God doth animate and vivifie them with his presence. What can we Christians imagine of the Aristotelian doctrine, when it would faign the immediate act of God in his prime angelicall creatures, to be so poor and mean, as are the adventitious elevations of fumes by the starry creature, and the concussion of clowds happening by chance, and a conflict betwixt heat and cold? Verily it was no marvell, if when his invention did fail in the research of so high a mystery, he was put to such weak shifts, as in the eyes of wise men are scarce probable: For when we behold the admirable effects of the lightning, how it pierceth the scabbard without any hurt unto it, and melteth the sword, entereth the purse, and liquifieth the mony, nay, pierceth the barrell or hogshead, and drinketh or consumeth the wine, the vessell not altered; yea, and what is more, that it hath understanding and reason to punish wicked contemners of this wondrous work of God, as having an angelicall reason to correct the presumptuous; We cannot but say of Aristotle, that he is onely embued with the wisdom of this world, and not with that which is from God, seeing that he doth foolishly imagine, that the lightnings have not an internall principle, and most essentiall agent, which maketh them to work and move at will where they please, even as the winde is said, spirare ubi vult, to blow where it list. The lightnings, I say) are agitated and carried when they will, and have consequently a volunty, being that their internall and centrall agent is that eternall Spirit of wisdom, which, as Solomon saith est omnibus rebus mobilior & sole atque stellis praestantior, atque omni re penetrabilior; More movable then all things in this world, and more worthy in light than the sun and stars, and more piercing than any thing. And therefore it was rightly said, Amictus lumine quasi vestimento, He is attired with light as with a garment. And, In lumine numen, in Numine lumen; In light is divinity, and in divinity is light. And this is the reason of the brightness in the Lightning, and of his infinite swiftness, and subtle penetration. And therefore it was but foolishly done of Aristotle, to assigne unto the composition and animation of the lightnings, onely externall and adventitious efficient causes, and no internall and essentiall causes. But I will tell you two famous stories of certain cases, which happened in our time, to manifest unto you, that there is a divine volunty in the lightnings.

In Ireland, there were two wenches which came from the market, whereof the one had bought her a pair of new shoes; these two travelling on foot homeward, and passing through a field not far from a wood, it chanced in the mean time that they were overtaken by a tempest of thunder and lightning; The one of the wenches seeing the thunder to approach, ran fast and called to the other wench, to hasten and shelter her self under the trees. But she laughed at her, lagged behind, and scorning, like a gallant, the thunder, said, Let the thunder kiss my back-side (clapping her buttock with her hand); so as it hurt not my new shoes, I care not. Which when she had uttered, the lightning struck off onely her posterior parts, and spared her shoes, which were not touched; and so the contemner of Gods wondrous and fearfull works died (according as she had said) miserably. Loe here, you Christian Peripateticks, and see, whether there be not an intellectuall mover, and divine volunty, in the lightnings, clean of another nature than your master Aristotle hath taught you. There was also a young towardly schollar, a great follower of Aristotle, and a disputer in the Schools, a man (as it should seem) more confident in Aristotle's doctrine, than in the documents of holy Writ: This man being born at Salisbury, and having been commended for his industry and learning, was elected Master of the free-School there. Upon a time he having been at the Act at Oxford, did return home-ward in the company of some Merchants, or other travellers, being on horse-back. It happened, that as they travelled over Salisbury-plain, a great tempest of thunder and lightning did arise; and whereas the company which were with this schollar was very much dismaid, he encouraged them, bidding them not to fear; For, said he, it is nothing but a naturall thing, caused of a hot and dry exhalation, which being drawn up by the Sun, and being included in the cold clowd, is there kindled, and so breaketh forth, and this is the cause of the noise you hear. Which when he had said, he onely of all the company was by the lightning struck dead, and some of the rest somewhat astonished. Loe here, the loss of a miserable man, through his so confident an observation of the Heathenish doctrine! For if he had rejected that kind of learning, which is founded on the terrene and diabolical wisdom, and hearkened unto the instruction of the true sapience, he would, in lieu of that profane speech, have worshipped him that speaks in thunder, and joyned with his companions in prayer, beseeching him to divert his wrath from them, and to hinder his fiery ministers from harming them, and then no doubt, both he and they had passed free from dammage: Then would he, by rejecting the forgery of Aristotle, have known the power of God, by these authorities of holy Writ: Nubes spargunt lumen suum quae cuncta lustrant per circuitum, quocunque eas movet voluntas Creantis, agit omne quod praeceperat illi super faciem terrae, sive sit ad flagellum, sive in beneficentiam: The clowds do spread ab[…]oad their light, which enlighten all peripherically, or circularly, whither soever the volunty of the Creator moveth; it pe[…]formeth whatsoever the Creator commandeth, be it to pu[…]ish, or to affect with goodnesse. And again, Fulgura nunquid mittis, & revertentia dicent tibi, Adsumus: Dost thou not send out the lightnings? and when they return, they will say, Loe we are here. Again, Ibunt directè emissiones fulgurum & tanquam a bene curvato arcu ad metam: The lightnings being emitted, will go directly unto the mark, as if they were shot out of a well-b[…]nt bow. But, to come nearer, it is said in another place, Ignis exiens à conspectu IEHOVAE exanimavit filios Aaronis: Fire or lightning issuing from the aspect or face of IEHOVA did kill the sons of Aaron. And again, Ignis egressus à IEHOVA consumebat centum quinquaginta qui admoverunt thus: Fire or lightning proceeding from the face of IEHOVA did consume the hundred and fifty men which did offer francincense. And (as before), Fulgura procedebant à throno, Lightnings did go out from the throne. But in another place, all this is more lively expressed thus: Ascendit fumus in ira ejus, & ignis à facie ejus exarsit, carbones accensi sunt abeo, &c. Prae fulgore in conspectu ejus, nubes transierunt, grando & carbones ignis, & intonuit de coelo Dominus & altissimus dedit vocem suam. A smoak did ascend in his anger, and fire did flame out from his face, coales of fire were kindled by him, &c. By the Lightning in his sight the clowds did move, hail and coales of fire, the Lord did thunder from heaven, the most High did utter forth his voice. By the which speech it appeareth evidently, that it is onely God, which doth essentially effect all these things, and although we say in our common phrase of speech, that the Lightnings do cause the Thunder, or, in speaking more mystically, that the Angells inflame the aire by their fiery presence, yet, in verity, it is God in his fiery Angells or flaming Ministers, as also in the thick clowds, and watry spirits, who produceth all these things to accomplish his will and pleasure. And therefore the Apostle: Deus operatur omnia in omnibus, God operateth all in all. And elsewhere: Deus omnium Pater, à quo omnia: God is the Father of all, from whom are all things. And again, Ex eo, per eum, & in eo sunt omnia: Of him, by him, and in him are all things. But all this in our Meteorologicall business is more plainly expressed in the precedent words continued thus at large, in another place: Ascendit fumus de naribus IEHOVAE, & ignis de ore ejus v[…]ravit, carbones s[…]ccensi sunt ab eo, & inclinavit coelos & descendit, & caligo sub pedibus ejus, & ascendit super Cherubin, & volavit seu lapsus est super alas venti, posuit tenebras in ci[…]cu[…]tu suo latibulum cribrans aquas de nubibus coelorum: prae fulgore in conspectu ejus nubes succensi sunt, carbones ignis volabant, tonabat de coelo Dominus, & excelsus dabat vocem suam, misit sagittas suas, & disparuit eos fulgur: Smoak ascended out of the nostrils of IEHOVA, and fire flew out of his mouth, coles of fire were kindled from him, and he inclined or bowed down the heavens and did descend, and darkness was under his feet, and he mounted upon a Cherubin, and flew or glided upon the wings of the wind, made darkness round about him his hiding place, sifting forth rain from the clowds of heaven. The clowds were kindled at the brightness of his face, coles of fire did flie, the Lord did thunder from heaven, and the most high did utter forth his voice, he sent forth his arrows, and the Lightning did disperse them. By all which it is made evident, that there is no essentiall efficient cause which is naturall, but onely God in nature and beyond nature operateth all in all. For in the precedent description it is not said, that the clowds or winds sent out coruscations, or that fire came from the Sun, or other heavenly bodies, but smoke went out of the nostrills of JEHOVA, and fire out of his mouth; neither that vapours and Exhalations did gather clowds in the middle region of the aire, but JEHOVA bowed down the heavens or aire, and collected them at his pleasure; neither the coldnesse of the middle region did accumulate them into a dark mass or heap by condensation: But JEHOVA collected and gathered together by his privative and condensing property, that dark chaos or confused abysse; neither was it any Angelicall efficient, but JEHOVA mounting upon the Cherubin, did animate it to move according to his pleasure. Nor was it the winds, that moved of themselves, but the spirituall Cherubin being first animated by JEHOVA, did excite the winds to move: neither was that exceeding darknesse made for a secret Tabernacle unto JEHOVA, meerly by the act of the Angelicall wind: But JEHOVA moving on the Cherubin, incited the Cherubin to cause the winds to collect, and gather together the clowds; neither was it the resolutive faculty of the Sun, that melted the clowds into rain but JEHOVA that did sift or cribrate forth water or rain out of them; neither was it the collision or dashing together of the clowds, or antiperistasis, which was between the hot exhalation and the coldness of the place, which caused the actuall Lightnings or inflammation of the clowds, but the brightnesse and inexplicable light of his presence did set the clowds on fire; neither was it the contentious strivings which was made between the fire and water, in the cleaving of the clowd, which maketh the fearfull sound from heaven, but it was JEHOVA that did thunder from heaven; it was the most high (I say) that did utter his voice from heaven, and sent forth his Lightning as arrows to destroy the wicked. Which being so, what have we Christians to do to look after any naturall efficient cause, with the acute eies of Aristotle, which (forsooth) must act and operate per se of themselves, without any consideration; when by the precedent Text it appeareth that St. Paul was no liar, when he said that God operateth all in all. And as for that Peripateticall distinction of causa principalis and secundaria, or subalterna, you see here that it is utterly disannulled by the Text before mentioned: For the onely efficient cause as well in the first, second, third, and fourth Organ or Instrument, was God: For it was he that inspired the Cherubin; it was he in and upon the Cherubin, which did animate the winds; it was he in and upon the Cherubin by the winds, that gathered the clowds together; it was he that in and upon the Cherubin, by the winds, did sift out water and rain out of the clowds, and did set them on fire, by sending forth Lightnings from his Throne. And, in conclusion, though he use many Organs, yet the essentiall act which operateth in and by them all, doth issue forth from one simple and sincere identity, which comprehendeth no otherwise all things in himself, then unity in Arithmetick is assuredly reckoned for the father of multitude. Thus we see that the foresaid young-man was lost, by his too too much presuming on the vain and prestigious doctrine of his Peripateticall Master: For whereas he taught unto the honest Christians which were his Companions, the false doctrine of his Ethnick Master, in their greatest need, namely when the angry hand of the Almighty was in the heavens ready to menace them, if they called not out for grace, from him who spake out of the clowds in time, and did wish them to abolish all feare, making them believe that the Lightnings were contingent things in nature, and made as it were by hap-hazard, and not indued with sense or reason, as being framed and shaped out, yea, and informed by externall and superficiall Principles; he with his companions should have remembred that saying, so often repeated by the Wiseman, Timor Domini est principium Sapientiae: The feare of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. If then both he and they had acknowledged that it was God that spoke in Thunder, being environed about with his potent Angells, they would then not have been so careless, but have prayed unto him hartily, have utterly forgotten this absolute acting-nature of Aristotle, considering that God is the onely Naturating Nature of Natures. I could tell you of many other wonderfull stories to my knowledg, but I will onely insist upon these two. About some five or six yeares since, there was one Piper's daughter of Colebrook, who being a gleaning of Corn after the harvest was carryed, in the company of her mother, and another young woman newly married unto a Glover in Colebrook who had been my servant: and also there was another daughter of the said goodwife Piper. The tempest approached when they were in the field, the elder daughter who had been, by their report, very disobedient unto her Parents, and would fearfully curse her mother oft-times, seeing the Lightning to flash about her, cried out, Fy upon these Lightnings, I cannot indure them, I will go home: and when she was wished by the company to call on God, shee would not; but they hastned unto an high Oke, which stood not far from a Park-pale, against the body whereof she placed her back, and laughing she said, she feared not now: For (said she) I am as safe as in my mother's parlor. The new married wife that had been my maid, leaned her elbow upon her knee, being also sat down, and the sister sat a little nearer the Park-pale, the mother stood under another tree hard by, and, in a dry ditch under the Oke, another wench did shelter her self: But […]o for all their imaginary safety, they could not fly the wrath of God: For the Lightning fell on the very top of that Oke, and the bolt plowed or made a furrow all along down the Oke, continually without intermission, and came directly upon the eldest daughter, that thought her selfe so sure, and struck her stark dead; and took away, for a time, the use of the new married wive's arme, that leaned on her knee that was slain, the wench in the ditch was struck in an amazement as if she were dead, the sister that sat more near the pale saw a globe of fire as it did descend the tree, and found her self so hot as if she had been in a furnace, but had no other harm; the mother under the next tree, having her foot set out towards the tree, where her daughter sat, was struck lame on that foot; the new married wife was struck in such sort, that in a kind of distraction she ran up the lane, crying out still as she ran, Lord open thy holy heavens, Lord open thy holy heavens: At last they were all convayed with the dead maid in a cart from the Village unto the Town of Colebrook, where the rest did recover within a few daies. I saw the place immediatly upon this, and spoke unto the new married wife, that was my servant, and had all these things confirmed unto me at her own house, where also her husband did relate unto me a wondrous case befell him in the interim: For being very carefull of his new married wife, he perceiving the Tempest, did put on his new cloak, and took his old under his arm, and so went out into the tempest to meet his wife, and as he went through a field, great flakes of fire passed by him, whose fore-parts were blont, & their hinder-parts shaped like fire-drakes, and on the suddain, as if it were by a great gust of wind, they blow off his hat from his head; which when he followed and stooped to reach up, he found a piece of his new cloke which he wore, so artificially cut out, and in so neat a Triangular form, that he did admire at it; and there he shewed me the place of his cloak, out of which it was cut, which was so neatly done, as if it had, after an exact geometrical triangular form, been cut out by a pair of shee[…]s.

The second story is this. In the great sickness time, I came out of Wa[…]es, and remaining for a while with my noble friend, the Lord Bishop of Worcester at Ha[…]tlebury-Castle, there I was advertised of a strange mischance which happened by lightening and thunder, about five weeks before my comming thither, some three or four miles from the Castle. I would needs go see the place, and in the company of my worthy friends Mr. Finch, and Sr. Thomas Thornborow; I took a view of the place, which was under a tall and well-spread Elme, upon a little hill, where it was related by the inhabitants which dwelled close by it, that two yeomens sons of good wealth, passed along with a load of hay, drawn with four oxen and two horses, which one of their fathers servants did drive: The tempest of thunder overtaking them, he drew up the hill, and placed his load and cattle under the Elme, and himself stooped under his load of hay, and the two youths got upon a bench or seat of […]urf made round about the tree: at last there came a fearfull stroke of thunder, at which the husband-man, who stooped under the cart, said, Good Lord, what a crack was that! At which words, the boyes laught out aloud, and mocking of him, said, A crack! But immediately a noise was heard on the upper boughes of the tree, and a solid matter all on fire came down directly between the boyes, and struck the hair of one of them into the tree, and set the other so on fire, that the man under the cart, with others, were forced to run down the hill to fetch water to quench it; and when it was quenched, his skin was as hard as rosted pork. Thus they payed full dearly for their scoffs, and contempt of Gods judgments, when as indeed they ought to have prayed God, to have preserved them from the ministers of his wrath. It is a dangerous thing to sport with, and laugh at the Saints. There is the thunderer from above, who hath messengers, able to revenge his cause, if he but nod unto them, in the twinckling of an eye.

I know that some Peripateti[…]k will reply, that it is but metaphorically meant, when Scriptures say, that God speaketh in thunder, and not really to be understood as it is spoken; which if it were true, then is the plainest phrase in Scripture to be so also understood, namely, clowds, snow, hail, &c. so that either it was a reall speech, or not reall; and if not reall, it would rather draw me to errour than truth. But Scripture is full of this kinde of speech, and therefore the whole harmony of holy Writ doth take and construe it for reall. Again, others do acknowledge the speech to be reall but, say they, where God speaketh in thunder, that act is miraculous, and not naturall. To which I answer with the mouth of the patient Job, saying, Pro irrigatione fatigat Deus densam nubem, & dispergit lucem nubis suae; God doth weary the thick clowds, and disperseth abroad the light of his clowds, for the watering of the earth. Whereby it appeareth, that God doth ordinarily gather together the clowds, and maketh them his organicall instruments, to utter his voice unto mortall men, for the prospering of the annuall fruits upon the earth. And therefore thus in another place, Si consideraret homo extensiones densarum nubium, fragores in tugurio illius exte[…]d[…]t super illud lucem suam, cum his judicaturus est populum & daturus cibum abunde. Also in another place all this is more plainly expressed, where it is said, Vide arcum & benedic eum qui fecit illum, valde specio sus est in splendore suo; gyravit coelum in circui[…]u gloriae ejus, manus Excelsi aptaverunt illum: imperio suo accelerat nivem & accelerat coruscationes emittere judicii sui. Propterea aperti sunt thesauri & evolarunt nebulae sicut aves, in magnitudine sua posuit nubes, & confracti sunt lapides grandinis, in conspectu ejus movebantur montes & in voluntate sua spiravit Notus. Vox tonitruum ejus reverberavit terram, tempestas Aquilonis & congregatio spiritus aspergit nivem, &c. Behold the rainbow, and blesse him that made it; it is wondrous beautifull in his brightnesse, it did compasse the heaven in the circle of his glory, the hands of him that is on high made it. By his command he hastens the snow, and maketh speed to send fo[…]th the lightnings of his judgment. Therefore are the treasur[…]es opened, and the clowds fly forth like birds. He placed the clowds in his greatnesse, and the stones of the hail are broken. In his sight the mountains did move, and according to his will the south-winde hath blown, and the voice of his thunder have reverberated the earth. The tempest of the north, and the congregation of spirits, doth spread abroad, or besprinkle the snow, &c.

In this speech of the son of Syrach, the Lord of lords is proved to be the sole essentiall and efficient cause of all meteors, namely, of the rainbow, the snow, the lightnings, the clowds, the hail, the thunder, the winds and tempests; as also it sheweth, that the matter of them is the aire. Wherefore he saith in the conclusion, The congregation of spirit doth spread abroad the snow. Lastly, it telleth us, that the hands or Spirit of God are not idle, in the effecting of such works, as Aristotle termeth natural, and therefore operateth not only primarily, but also secundarily, yea, and catholically, in and over all things, as well in their generation, as preservation and corruption.

To the last clause of his definition, wherein he seemeth to aver, that the lightnings move downward, because the stuff of it is of a terrestriall compacted nature. I answer, that this reason is over weak, considering the Gigantean author that alledged it; for it may in the self-same manner be inferred, that the Gun-powder, which is of a far grosser stuff then is that of the lightnings, must therefore strike downwards; and yet we see by experience, it riseth in spight of a mean resistance, by its naturall inclination upward, as we may perceive by places that are undermined, and squibs, which are violently carried upward. I come therefore unto such true definitions of lightning and thunder, as are maintained and allowed by the Book of Verity.